


Life on Earth

by darkchakram



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, Gen, Grounder Culture, Heda, Heda Training, Natblida, Polis, Pre-Series, Trigedasleng, conclave, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-09-27 12:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10020275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkchakram/pseuds/darkchakram
Summary: This story originally started as the one-shot, Taken. But, I've decided to expand it to a long-form fiction that explores the lives of the Grounders before the 100 crashed to Earth. As for now, the rating will stay PG-13 but later chapters may be more mature. Should that happen, I will adjust the rating accordingly.





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> PG-13/ Teen for violence and some language. 
> 
> Author’s Note: I am a Clarke/Lexa, Clexa shipper. That will no doubt affect how this story is told. And depending on how long this story runs (if I decide to run it up to/through the series) it will definitely have Clexa elements to it. But as for now it is a pre-Series fic and Clarke is not in play.

Kennedy kom Trikru stood knee deep in the frigid river. Winter had raged on longer than the people of the Wood’s Clan had expected. Stores were growing shorter and Kennedy had five mouths to feed besides his own. Kennedy looked back to the river bank where his oldest boy, Lincoln, cleaned fish. As he speared another trout, Kennedy couldn’t help but be thankful that his second wife hadn’t come up pregnant last year. Not that he wasn’t grateful for his four children but the harsh winter had made him realize just how old he was getting. Spring would bring his thirtieth year. He was the last of his siblings. His two brothers had died in the war against Azgeda, his sister in childbirth. He knew it was only his skill with metals that had saved his own life. The Commander needed weapons and Kennedy made the best swords in the valley. He’d hoped Lincoln, his son from his first wife, would have inherited his crafting skill but sadly Lincoln had only shown promise in designing weapons. His drawings were precise and made good templates but, alas, when it came to forging the weapon, bending the steel, shaping the blade, Jeffson’s boy, Tomac, showed much more promise. Kennedy knew that come spring, he’d have to give the ten year old Lincoln over for military training. The Commander needed warriors, not artists. Kennedy tossed the speared fish onto the bank and turned his attention back to the current. 

Before midday, Kennedy had caught enough trout to feed his family for the week and to give some to Merica. With her husband off fighting Azgeda and her daughter Indra training for the trials, she didn’t have much help with her yong. Kennedy was helping Lincoln load the fish into their small cart when he heard hooves galloping on the roadway. “Sitta, Lincoln,” Kennedy ordered his boy to stay with the cart as he made his way up the riverbank using the bushes as cover. 

There were four riders. Two soldiers, loyal to the commander by their banners. The other two riders lacked armor. Instead, they wore the plain robes of the priesthood. Kennedy’s heart slammed against his chest. “No, no, no, no,” he scrambled back down the riverbank. 

Lincoln made to run to his father but stopped at Kennedy’s raised hand. Lincoln could hear the horses now. It must’ve been Azgeda, he thought. He’d never seen his father so pale. He was nearly as white as Lincoln’s fair-skinned step-mother. “Azgeda?” Lincoln whispered.

“No, worse. Sitta, Lincoln. Ai’ll come back gon yu.” Kennedy grabbed the knife that Lincoln had been cleaning fish with and slid it into his belt.

“Nontu,” Lincoln protested.

“Lincoln, Sitta! Swear em!” 

Lincoln knew his father was a gentle man but had also seen him when his ire had been tested. He could tell this was one time that he didn’t dare test his father.

“Ai swear.” Lincoln nodded. 

“Pack the fish, forget the cart. When ai ge back, ge you ogud kom run.” If Lincoln hadn’t been worried before. He certainly was now. What could be so bad that his father was willing to flee his people? 

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Although he ran harder than he ever had in his life, Kennedy was unable to beat the riders to his village. His chest burned with every heaved breath but he didn't dare stop even when he reached the edge of the village and could see the riders in the center circle talking to the headman, Brary. He knew that Brary would give them up rather than betray the Commander. There had been a few in the village who'd wanted to turn Kennedy and Sonian in when Liberty had been born, but the need for a smith and a midwife had prevented them from doing so. Most of the babies in the village had been brought into the world under Sonian's trained eye. She'd only ever lost one mother in childbirth, and that had been Lincoln's. It was her careful attending to the motherless infant that had made Kennedy fall in love with her. He married her against murmurs and warnings that she was from the line of Natblidas and that her children would never really belong to her. 

Kennedy hadn't been surprised when their first child, Liberty, had been born with the black blood. Sonian had delivered at home with Kennedy's help. They decided to hide the fact that their son had the blood from the rest of the village. But a nosy villager, Sonian had always suspected Brary, decided to go through their rubbish pile before Kennedy had had the chance to burn the birthing rags. Brary had gathered a group of folks who were determined to see the child sent to Polis. Merica, thankfully, stepped in and cooler heads eventually prevailed. Things only escalated after Luna's birth. The stares were icier, the whispers louder. Then lightning struck again. Their third child, Lexa had also been born a Natblida. Kennedy was devastated. It was hard enough keeping the knowledge of one child from Polis but three Natblidas from one mother! The villagers looked on Sonian with both pity and envy. Apparently, one of them had finally decided enough was enough. 

Kennedy skirted around the edge of the village. As he neared his dwelling at the other end of the village, he could see Luna grinding acorns with a mortar and pestle. Her tiny hand barely able to circle the stone pestle. Liberty stood nearby scraping fat from a deer hide. Sonian was hanging linens up to dry and baby Lexa was at her heels reaching for her mother. Sonian had just started weaning her and Lexa had been the hardest yet of Sonian’s three children to give up the tit. Sonian was blissfully unaware that their world was about to come crashing down. Kennedy gave himself a split second to sear the image of domestic tranquility into his brain. He knew he would need it in the days to come. Life on the run wouldn’t be easy but he wasn’t about to give his children up without a fight. 

He looked back toward the village center, Brary was already leading the men toward their hut. All stealth abandoned, Kennedy sprinted toward his wife. Sonian looked up startled and then terrified at the look in her husband’s eyes. When she saw the men coming up the road behind him, she realized the reason for his panic. She quickly grabbed Lexa up and pulled Luna behind her. Kennedy grabbed Liberty’s hand.

“Nontu,” Liberty called in shock.

“Shof op, Liberty. Teik’s go.” he pulled the boy toward the back of their hut. “Disha way,” he nodded to Sonian to go around the hut and up the hill. But it was too late. One of the Commander’s soldiers was there waiting. They turned quickly, but Brary and the other soldier stood there waiting with the priests. 

“No.” Sonian cried.

“Now, now, Sonian, don’t make this any harder than this has to be,” Brary crossed his arms across his chest. He was clearly expecting a show and he was enjoying himself. 

“Kennedy kom Trikru?” One of the priests addressed Kennedy. 

“Yes,” Kennedy nodded.

“You have three Natblida yong?” the man accused more than asked.

“You can’t have them. The Commander can’t have them.” Kennedy moved in front of his family. 

“Don’t be a fool Kennedy. They belong to the Commander. Come with me children.” The priest ordered.

Lexa must have picked up on the tension because she started whimpering. Luna clung to her mother’s dress. Liberty stood tall, ready to fight. 

“I said you can’t have them.” Kennedy repeated.

Brary snorted. 

“Teik em,” the priest called to the soldiers. 

The soldier who’d been standing nearest the priest reached for Luna. “Nomon,” she wailed. 

Kennedy pulled his blade from his belt and slashed at the warrior’s throat, he missed but grazed the man’s chin. Sonian tried to shield Lexa away from the violence but turned directly into the warrior who’d come in from the back of the hut. He snatched the toddler out of her arms and took her to the priest who’d remained silent. 

The wounded warrior, madder than ever, reached for his blade. Liberty grabbed a sword from his father’s cooling rack and charged at the man. The warrior easily parried the child and disarmed him. Still, he knocked Liberty in the head which sent the boy reeling.

“No,” Kennedy screamed and moved to attack the warrior from behind. He never completed the attack because without turning around the man twirled his sword backwards and impaled Kennedy.

“Yu gonplei ste odon,” he wiped his blade clean. 

“Kennedy,” Sonian wailed. 

“Nontu,” Luna screamed but the men had already gathered her up. 

“He shouldn’t have resisted,” Brary taunted Sonian. “Neither should you.”

“Frag yu!” Sonian rushed toward Brary. But the warrior who’d taken Lexa had returned after handing her off to the priest. He punched Sonian, knocking her unconscious. Within minutes the priests and their guards were back on the road to Polis.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Lincoln had waited like his father said but he was getting anxious. When he heard horses coming from the village road. He scurried up the hill. He saw a warrior leading a pack of riders. His mind quickly processed what was happening. The lead rider held his half-sister, Luna in front of him. His brother was draped unconscious over the back of the other warrior’s horse. A priest cradled Lexa in the crook of his right arm as he rode. 

Kennedy had taken Lincoln’s knife when he’d run off to the village. Lincoln grabbed a handful of rocks and ran into the path of the riders. “Let my brother and sisters go!” He demanded. 

“Run, LIncoln,” Luna screamed. 

“I won’t let them take you!” 

“Check him,” the priest who held Lexa commanded. 

The lead rider motioned to the other warrior. He dismounted and moved toward Lincoln who pelted him with the stones. One struck the man’s temple drawing blood and causing him to falter. But it wasn’t enough. He recovered before Lincoln could gather more rocks. He grabbed Lincoln.

“Run,” Luna plead with her stubborn brother. 

But Lincoln bit down on the man’s arm causing him to howl. With his other arm, he drew a knife from his pants. He cut Lincoln across the arm. Satisfied when the blood ran red, He kicked LIncoln to the roadside. “Yu'll make heda a good gona won day.”

Lincoln could feel his cracked rib. He could barely move as the rider took his mount. He reached for Luna and tried to force himself off the ground. “Sister,” he called.

“She’s no longer your sister, boy,” the priest called. “They belong to the Commander, now. They always have.”


	2. Novitiates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children are brought to Polis.

Night had fallen by the time the riders reached Polis. Lexa had finally cried herself to sleep though Luna wasn’t sure if her long wails had been cries of fear or hunger. She guessed a little of both. Liberty had regained consciousness about an hour into their ride. He tried to escape twice before the warriors tied his hands and feet and gagged him to keep him from screaming out. Luna hadn’t protested. She’d seen what the gonas were capable of, they’d killed her father, cold-cocked her mother and ripped them from their home. She knew that it was futile to try to fight the heavily armored warriors who had far superior strength. No, if they were going to get away from these people it would have to be with stealth not brawn. So instead of fighting, she made it her business to memorize landmarks and to note every turn they made. What good would it do to get away if they couldn’t make it home once they got free? 

Luna’s six year old eyes looked upon the capital with a mix of fear and wonder. She’d heard her father speak of the tower but nothing had prepared her for its immensity. Even in the dark it stood out against the skyline with lights burning brightly in the uppermost windows. She could see a dark figure silhouetted on the top floor but from the distance she couldn’t tell if the person was a man or a woman. 

The city market was virtually abandoned since the sun had slipped below the mountains on the horizon. Once they’d been cleared to enter at the city gates, and the priest had unbound Liberty’s feet, it didn’t take the priests long to guide the children through the city square and up the forested terrace that housed the Natblida dormitory and training grounds. 

A tall bald man wearing a long mustard-colored robe stood at the bottom of the steps waiting for them. Luna could just barely make out the tattooing that crowned his head. 

“Titus,” one of the priests that they’d ridden from their village with greeted the domineering looking priest. “The reports were good. The family was hiding three Natblida.”

“Blasphemy.” Titus spat and looked deep into Luna’s eyes. He saw a strength of spirit that he hadn’t anticipated. Looking at the boy’s bound hands he surmised that all of the children shared that fire. “Your names?” Titus directed the question at Luna.

“I’m Luna, this is my older brother, Liberty. And the baby, she’s Lexa.”

“You’re Trikru?”

“Yes, Sir,” Luna answered.

“You will call me Fleimkepa.” 

“Fleimkepa,” Luna tried the word on her tongue.  
Titus turned his attention to the two scouts. Get them scrubbed, fed, and off to bed. They are to meet the Commander at sunrise. 

“Yes, Fleimkepa,” the priest who held Lexa responded and shifted his weight as Lexa started squirming in his arms. The voices must of woken her or maybe it was that it was the first time since she’d been ripped from her mother’s arms that they’d been standing still. Her green eyes popped open and landed on the dark eyes of the Fleimkepa. Her tiny hand stretched out toward him. 

The move surprised Titus whose first instinct was to back away from the infant but there was something in the weight of her stare that caused him to reconsider. He took the two-year-old in his own arms. He could smell that she’d soiled herself. Anger tore through him. “Have you not bothered to change the child? Have you even fed them?”

“No Fleimkepa,” Luna answered for the scouts.

“You’ll learn to hold your tongue until you are being addressed directly Luna kom Trikru.”

“Forgive us, Flemkepa, we thought it was more urgent to bring them here post haste.” One of the scouts defended.

“Take these two to the dormitory. I’ll see to this one. Keep them separate from the other novitiates. I will assign them quarters tomorrow. I will come for them just before dawn. You’re dismissed.”

Luna and Liberty followed the scouts past Titus toward the dormitory hall. Before they entered the building, Luna turned, it pained her to leave Lexa but she felt like at least the Fleimkepa was going to take better care of her than had the scouts. Besides, she needed some time alone with Liberty to plan how they were going to get away from the priests and get back home. As she looked to her baby sister, she was surprised to see that she’d already warmed to the man. Lexa had placed her open palm on his cheek, trying to learn his face. The image gutted Luna. How many times had Lexa placed her chubby little baby hands on their father’s face? Luna knew she had to get them out of there and quickly. Otherwise, this Fleimkepa might be the closest thing her sister ever had to a father. 

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Morning came early. Luna rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and found Liberty already awake sitting on the edge of the cot he’d been assigned. The anger and defiance that had marked his journey from their Trikru village, TonDC, had given way to despair and defeat. His dark head hung low and he rubbed at the raw marks that the bindings had left on his young wrists. When he saw his little sister sit up and sling her tiny feet over the side of her cot, he pointed to a tray that sat on a table near her. “They brought breakfast.” 

Luna eyed the food. She was surprised by how delicious it looked. The golden yolks of the eggs called to her empty stomach. She gobbled them up and made even quicker work of the two strips of bacon. The bread even had a nice fat dollop of butter. And the juice, the juice was nothing short of delicious. It was a rare treat. She’d only had apple juice once in her life. She wondered if this type of meal was standard for the Natblida or if they were just fattening them up so to speak.  
When she finished the last bite of bread, she noticed that Liberty had barely touched his food. 

“You have to eat, Liberty.”

“I did.”

“No, I mean all of it. If we are going to escape,” she whispered. “If we are going to get all the way back home, you need to eat.”

He looked at her oddly. What was she talking about? Escape? And they didn’t even know how to get back to TonDC, anyway. He’d always thought his sister was smarter than her years but he began to wonder if she had any real grasp of just how bad things were. The priesthood had them now. They were never getting away. The only way this ended was with them all dead. Or if they were really lucky. One of them would survive and become the next Heda but they would do so at the cost of their own siblings’ lives. Even if they ran away, the priests would hunt them down. Natblida were too rare, it’s why their father had been devastated when Lexa had also been born with the sheidjus. “Luna. This is home now. Better get used to it.”

“I won’t. Nomon will come for us.” Luna protested.

“Nobody’s coming, Luna. You heard them tell Lincoln. We aren’t Trikru anymore. Our family isn’t our family. We are Natblida.”

“No. no.” Luna shook her head, her long curls bobbing around.

Liberty came and joined her on her cot. “They will take us to see the Commander today. Then, I am sure we will start training.”

“Training?”

“To become warriors. Being the best warrior is the only way you will survive this, Luna.”

Liberty took her hand in his. She squeezed it for comfort. Was her brother right? Was there no hope? She couldn’t accept that. If Liberty didn’t want to escape with her then she’d just take Lexa and they’d find a way to make it own their own. When they made it back to TonDC, their Nomon would protect them. She’d know what to do, where to go. She had to.

The lock on the door slid open and then the wooden oak creaked as Titus pushed the door open. He was holding Lexa on his hip. Luna noticed that she’d been cleaned and someone had braided her baby soft brown hair in two pigtails. She was dressed in a grey deerskin dress that was a least a size too big for her. She was too little to understand everything that was happening to them but it pained Luna to see that her baby sister looked content in the priest’s arms. 

“Luna, Liberty, you come with me. You will be on your best behavior. Today is an important day for the three of you. You will meet Heda and you will meet the other novitiates and be assigned mentors. These mentors will guide you until you have proven yourself worthy of being assigned a Fos. As you two are way behind on your training, I expect you to work hard to catch up quickly.” 

Titus jerked his head to the hallway behind him, “Now, let’s go. No time to waste."


	3. Usurpation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children are taken before Heda.

Titus, the Fleimkepa, led Luna and Liberty down the terrace and across the busy streets of the city center to the magnificent tower that dominated the city. Lexa, he carried tightly against his right hip. The marketplace was vastly different that Luna had remembered it from the previous evening. Instead of an empty square, the space was now filled with vendors who loudly hawked their wares to passersby. Luna had never seen so many people in her life. Although some of the merchants were rather aggressive in their sales techniques, for the most part, they left the children alone since they were accompanied by the Fleimkepa, who currently wore a rather sour expression. Luna looked up at the bald man and wondered if he ever smiled. 

Once they’d reached the tower, Titus ushered them into the double doors that led to an ornate lobby. But the humongous space was empty except for the two gonas that stood at the front entrance and two more who stood on either side of a door on the back wall. 

“Fleimkepa.” One of the gonas greeted Titus by bowing and then he pulled open the double doors of the elevator. 

Luna had never seen an elevator before and was surprised that the doorway didn’t seem to go anywhere. She didn’t understand why Titus pulled them into the little box but she followed him anyway, as did Liberty. When the doors closed and they were enveloped in darkness, Luna sought Liberty’s hand. He squeezed her smaller hand reassuringly even though he was beyond frightened himself. 

Then things got even worse. The box they were in jolted and it felt as if they were being pulled into the sky. Lexa started to whimper.

“Shhh,” Titus barked at the baby. Her whimpering rose to a cry.

“Quit that,” Titus ordered. He didn’t generally fool with the infants when they came for training. Natblida babies weren’t exactly his area of expertise. The children didn’t come into his training grounds until they reached their sixth year. He tried to reason with the toddler the way he would have one of his older pupils. “To be Heda is to have control over your emotions, yongon.” 

Lexa continued to cry. The darkness, the heat of the space, the unfamiliar jostling all worked to make her uneasy and she was finding little comfort in Titus’ harsh treatment. “Dawak,” Lexa pushed against Titus trying to free herself.

“Let me take her,” Liberty offered. He had always been good at cooing his baby sister back to sleep. 

“You will not! She will learn to control her feelings. And you will do well to remember that she is not your responsibility any more. You should mind your own feelings.” Titus snapped. 

Luna knew if he could see her and Liberty holding hands that he would be furious but she clenched his hand tighter holding on to the one true thing she had left in the world. 

Lexa was still crying when the elevator came to a jarring stop on the top floor. Two gonas waiting on the outside wedged open the door. Luna was surprised to find that she actually knew one of them. He was from TonDC. “Ashington,” she called to him, hopeful that he would help them. 

He looked away from her but she caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes before he turned away.

Titus gave Ashington a piercing glare before he pulled Luna from the elevator. “Come now children.” 

Lexa’s cry turned to a full wail. 

“Shop op, child,” Titus grabbed her from his hip and held her high above him. Luna thought for a second that he was going to shake her but Lexa surprised them all by giggling. “Don’t do that either.” Titus put Lexa down on the floor and went down to her level. “Lexa, listen to me. You have to walk in here and meet Heda now. I expect you to quit crying and be on your best behavior. You want Heda to think you are worthy of training don’t you?”

The two-year-old Lexa had no idea what he was talking about but she really liked the tattoos that crowned his skull so she reached up and rubbed his slick head and giggled again.

Titus’ nostrils flared and he jerked her hand away. Which only made her lips pucker in a frown and her eyes well up again. “No, no, no, no more crying. Here.” Titus bent his head forward and let Lexa pet the ink rim. 

When he was satisfied that the children were settled, he nodded to Heda’s personal guard to announce them. They didn’t have to wait long. Heda granted them an immediate audience. 

The guard pushed the door open and Titus entered first. “Follow me and do not speak until asked to, do you understand?”

Luna and Liberty nodded. Lexa pushed past Titus and ran down the aisle that led to Heda’s throne. She stopped abruptly when she saw the fierce woman who sat on dais. 

Heda stood to her full six-foot height. She shot her ice blue eyes at Titus. “Fleimkepa, get this child under control.”

“Apologies, Heda. They haven’t been raised with the proper. . .”

“I’m well aware of the situation, Fleimkepa. Well aware of you failings.”  
“Yes, Heda,” Titus bowed in shame. Finding Natblida children fell under his purview as Fleimkepa but he was only as good as his scouts. Still, he knew better than to make excuses before the Commander. He’d seen people do that. It never ended well. 

Heda eyed the children, sizing them up for potential warriors. She walked to Liberty. “Are you strong boy?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Liberty answered.

“You’ll address me as Heda.”

“Yes, Heda,” Liberty corrected himself. Luna decided that she didn’t like Heda very much at all. 

“Let me see your arms boy,” Heda ordered.

Titus hurried to pull up Liberty’s sleeves.

“Titus, leave it. The boy can do it himself.”

“Thank you, Heda,” Liberty cut Titus a hateful look and rolled up his own sleeves.

“You’ve worked, That’s good. You’re lean but you’ve got some muscle. There may be hope for you. You can train him Titus.” The Commander turned her attention to Luna. Luna met her gaze confidently. Luna had heard stories of Heda’s greatness. She even knew the tale of how the Commander had gotten the great scar that ran down her left cheek. 

Heda noticed the girl’s eyes lock on her scar. “You’re frightened, I see the pulse point in your neck thrumming. Yet your spine is erect and you face me as if you are fearless. You will learn fear.” Heda reared her hand back to slap Luna. To her credit, Luna didn’t flinch. Instead, she jutted her jaw out in defiance. 

Heda stopped just short of hitting the girl. “She’ll do, Titus.” And Heda gave Titus the first approving look she’d given him in months. She clearly thought that Luna had potential. 

Heda turned to go back to her throne but stopped dead in her tracks. While she had been assessing the other two and Titus paying only attention to Heda, Lexa had decided to claim the Commander’s chair for her own. She’d climbed up into the wooden throne and was watching them all from above.

“Why you insolent little brat!” Heda growled and moved toward the toddler.

“Mine,” Lexa patted the armrests. “My chair. Lexa’s now.” 

“Titus, get that child off my throne.” Heda barked.

Red-faced, Titus scurried to lift Lexa out of the chair. 

Liberty and Luna fought hard not to laugh at the situation but it was clear that Heda was more than a little upset that Lexa had claimed her seat for her own. 

“Mine,” Lexa belted as Titus scooped her up and away from the chair. 

“That is Heda’s throne, child. You will learn your place.” Titus raised his voice.

“Ai laik Heda,” Lexa said.

Titus’ eyes went wide. He knew how vicious Heda could be. He wouldn’t put it past her to have the child executed. 

“You are not Heda,” The tall woman leaned into Lexa’s face and Lexa’s green eyes stared back and she repeated. “Ai laik Heda.”

The Commander squinted at the child and her hand went to the back of her neck reflexively. 

“Titus, you may take them to the training facilities. I want you to start with them first thing tomorrow morning. This afternoon, I expect them at the trial.”

“I will take Luna and Liberty,” he pointed to the the two older children, “to the training facility at once. Lexa will have to go into the nursery training program.”

“No, she will begin training with the other two.”

“But Heda, I beja yu, she hasn’t even had basic. . .”

“You heard me. They all begin tomorrow.” There was no point in arguing and Titus let the matter go. 

“Yes, Heda. Tomorrow. And I will have them at the trial later today.”

“See that you do. You have a lot to make up for, Titus.” 

“Sha, Heda.” Titus nodded and shifted uncomfortably. Luna decided that she had quite enjoyed watching the Fleimkepa taken down a notch.


	4. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna, Liberty, and Lexa are assigned tichas/mentors and attend the trial.

Luna had barely had time to finish her lunch before Titus came and retrieved her and Liberty from the mess hall. The other novitiates had been less than welcoming and the siblings had sat apart from the rest of the group and were enjoying their goat stew at the very end of the long table. When Titus came barging in, Luna noticed how the other novitiates all sat up straight and all of their conversations came to a dead stop. 

“Luna, Liberty, you will accompany me.” Titus ordered.

Luna stood and picked up her bowl which was still half full. She yearned to take one more bite of the soggy bread that she’d been soaking up the broth with but decided that the Fleimkepa would see that as an affront to his authority, one that he wasn’t likely to let slide seeing as how they were in front of all the other Natblida. 

“Leave your bowls,” he called. “I’ll have Cedar put them away.”

Luna cast her dark eyes down the table at the other Natblida and decided that the teenager with the long red hair must have been Cedar. Her nostrils flared and her jaw tensed. She clearly didn’t like the idea of being ordered to clean up after the two new whelps. Still, the girl didn’t challenge Titus. 

Liberty took little time making his way over to Titus. His acceptance of their situation cut Luna to the core again. She gave him a slanted eye as she moved toward him and Titus. He just shook his head at her. He feared her stubbornness was going to cause her more pain than necessary. 

“Where are we going?” Luna asked as they followed Titus down the corridor. Titus didn’t answer. But Luna didn’t have to wait long to find out. Titus pushed open the double doors that led to the Natblida training grounds. Luna wondered what was happening. Titus had told the Commander that their training would begin tomorrow, not today. 

In the center of the grounds, a priest held Lexa against his help. “Wuna, Wiberty,” she called to her siblings as they walked toward her and the priest. To the priest’s right hand side were three gonas. One woman and two men. Luna guessed them to be in their late teens, early twenties. Luna wondered if they were Natblida. 

“Children, meet your tichas.” 

“You must be Liberty,” the oldest looking of the three stepped forward. His tattoos signified that he was Trikru but Luna had never seen him in TonDC. “I’m Vigil. I’ll be your ticha until you’ve made enough progress to become a Sekon.”

“Hello,” Liberty greeted and extended his forearm. 

“Come with me, I will show you our quarters.”

So, they were being separated. Luna guessed she should have expected that they would be, but it hurt to watch Liberty walk away nonetheless. 

“Gustus, you will take Lexa. The Commander wants her trained as the others.” Titus informed.

Gustus gave Titus an odd look but didn’t dare question the Fleimkepa. He rubbed the thin hairs that were only the beginnings of a beard but he didn’t speak. He only took the toddler from the priest holding her. He’d never trained one so young but if those were Heda’s orders then it wasn’t Gustus’ place to question them. The green eyes looked up into his darker ones and Gustus felt something he couldn’t explain. There was something special in the soul of this child. The connection was instant. Lexa reached up and traced the thick black tattoo that ran down his jawline. Gustus didn’t stop her, he knew she needed to learn his face. To learn to trust him. 

“Gustus, Heda expects her at the trial, as well.” Titus nodded.

“Sha, Fleimkepa.” Gustus agreed before taking Lexa and leaving.

Luna was left in the training ground with Titus and the female gona who scrutinized Luna closely. Luna was quite certain that the warrior found her lacking. She also looked like she was much more likely than the other two to question Titus. Luna’s estimation turned out to be correct when the woman turned to Titus and said, “What am I to do with this, Fleimkepa?” 

“Heda has ordered her trained. She has personally requested you to be her ticha.”

Luna studied the blonde woman. She wasn’t very tall for a warrior but her muscles were well defined. She wore her blonde hair cropped short. Luna thought it odd that she had no tattoos indicative of a Trikur gona, nor did she have the tell-tale scarring of Azgeda. Luna wondered to which clan the warrior belonged. There were no outward signs to give her origins away. Luna also noticed that she didn’t carry a sword on her back. Instead, she had two long thin knives holstered on the outside of her boots. Luna had never seen their like before. 

“Very well, I will do as Heda pleases.” The blonde turned to Luna. “Ai laik Elle. If you give me any trouble, I will see that your life is Hell, are we clear?”

Luna’s words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “My life is already Hell.”

Elle’s mouth lifted up in an approving grin. “You understand your situation, then? You’re smarter than you look. Come then. Maybe we will be friends.”

But Luna knew they would never be friends. That she would never be friends with any of these people who’d taken her from her family. How could she? 

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞  
The Natblida barracks was a single story building that sat atop a high hill overlooking most of the city. A long set of stairs led from the training ground to the top of the hill. Luna had counted the concrete steps as she’d climbed, 113. Elle hadn’t even gotten out of breath as she took the steps two at a time. Luna hadn’t been able to keep up. Her young legs wouldn’t let her take the steps in doubles and she’d gotten winded more than once. When she finally reached the top, Elle waited for her with an impatient scowl. “Well, that’s unacceptable. We shall fix this promptly. I want you up every morning before breakfast to climb these stairs twice. Only after you finished may you go to mess hall. We will work some strength into those legs of yours.”

She turned abruptly and marched Luna into the barracks. Luna saw some familiar faces from the mess hall milling about the common area. Most notably, she noticed the redhead that Titus had referred to as Cedar. Elle didn’t stop to chat with any of the novitiates. Instead she led Luna past the common area without commenting and down a long hallway and into the third door on the left hand side. Inside the windowless room was a bunk bed, a table with candles burning low, and two chairs. 

“These will be our illustrious quarters until you’ve reached the point where you will become a Sekon. Let’s pray that that is soon.” 

Luna could tell that Elle was no more happy than she to have to be living in such an austere environment. “You don’t live here normally?”

“I do not. But Heda has commanded me to train you. So, that’s that.”

“And Gustus and Virgil?”’

“Same as me. Only here as tichas. Normally we are in the field.”

“Doesn’t Heda train the Natblida?”

“Yes, and you will attend classes with her but you will not combat with her until you’ve mastered basic moves. It would be a waste of her time. Still, you will learn our history and our philosophy from both her and the Fleimkepa.”

Elle sat down on the bottom bunk. “Top’s yours.” The warrior started pulling personal items out of the sling bag that she carried. She had one change of clothes and an extra tunic that looked like it might be for Luna. A couple of vials of liquid, a hair brush, some hair pins, and toothbrush rounded out her personal effects. The last item she pulled out was a knife with a white bone handle. She handed it to Luna. “To protect yourself. It is frowned upon but sometimes there is fighting among the Natblida. If someone should jump you, you should be prepared to use this.”

Luna looked at the knife but didn’t reach to take it.

Elle forced it into her hand. “Take it! You’re going to need it. And sooner than you think. For now, rest”

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Luna had nodded off. She awoke to Elle shaking her. “Let’s go.”

Luna rubbed her eyes and slung her feet over the side of the bunk. Before she could scramble down the little ladder, Elle was already in the hallway holding open the door.

Elle took long strides on her short legs all the way to the city center. Luna had to jog to keep up with with the warrior. When they reached the central square a crowd had gathered. All of the vendors had abandoned their stalls to watch the public trial. From their spot in the back of the crowd, Luna could make out very little of what was happening. She could see Heda who was standing on a platform above the rest of the crowd. Tall with her black hair down and flowing. Titus stood beyond her right shoulder. A dark-haired gona stood at her right. Luna figured that the must be Heda’s second. He certainly had a fierce look about him with sideburns that cut across his cheek creating one line with his mustache and goatee. 

Elle worked to push them through the crowd as Heda started speaking. “We’ve gathered here today for the trial of this woman who has defied the authority of the Commander.” 

Finally, they’d reached the front of the pack and Elle moved aside two spectators so that they were standing in the front row. Luna heard Lexa cry out “Nomon,” only a split-second before she realized that the woman on trial was their own mother. Sonian was on her knees in the center of the square. Two gonas held the chains that bound her. Luna looked across the yard where Gustus held Lexa on his back in a leather frame he’s designed for carrying the toddler. Luna started to run to her mother but Elle grabbed her shoulder holding her back. Luna scanned the crowd looking for Liberty. She found him standing near Virgil, his face expressionless. 

“That’s my nomon, I’ve gotta help her,” Luna tried to go to her mother again. Elle clamped her hand hard on Luna’s bicep causing the limb to twist in its shoulder socket. 

“You will stay put, yongen.” 

“Sonian, what have you to say for yourself?” The Commander sneered.

“Only that I was protecting my children.”

“So you admit your guilt?” Heda was happy that Sonian was making her own execution inevitable.

“Yes, I would do the same if I had it to do again.”

“You’ve betrayed the legacy of Bekka Pramheda, Trikru, and your own village of TonDC for your own selfish ends. You know the punishment for hiding a Natblida?”

“Yes, death. And I find joy in knowing that you can only kill me once and I defied you thrice,” Sonian jutted her chin forward proudly.

“Death it is then. By a thousand cuts. Let it begin.”

“Nomon,” Lexa squealed again. She squirmed to free herself forcing Gustus to pull her out of the pouch he carried her in and hold her tightly against his hip.

As the gona’s pulled Sonian to her knees and tied her to a post for her execution, Luna was happy to see that Gustus at least covered Lexa’s eyes. 

“Who will take the first cut, Heda?” Titus asked.

“Well, Titus, you are the Fleimkepa and it was your scouts from whom she kept the children hidden. The honor of the first cut should be yours.”

Titus swallowed. He wasn’t exactly accustomed to getting blood on his hands. But he took the knife that Heda handed him and climbed down the stairs.

Titus stood before Sonian. His hesitation angered her. What right did he have to feel regret, remorse? He was a child stealer. A murderer. How many Natblida had he watched die and did nothing to stop the senseless killing? “Dula yu job op, Fleimkepa,” Sonian spat in his face. 

Titus took a step back but let the knife sink into the flesh of Sonian’s bicep as he sliced it across her arm.

“No,” Luna cried out and felt her shoulder pop out of its socket as she tore free from Elle. She sprinted across the courtyard to her mother. 

“Luna, go. I don’t want you here. I don’t want you to see this. Run!” Sonian begged.

But Luna kept running toward Sonian. When she reached her she pulled at her chains trying in vain to free her. 

“Elle,” The Commander yelled. 

But Elle was already on her way to restrain Luna.

“No,” the Commander called. “Do not take her away. She will take the next cut.”

“Don’t make her do this, I beja yu, Commander,” Sonian plead.

“Yu may not die thrice, Sonian. But you will die tragically.” The Commander was clearly enjoying the spectacle.

“No,” Luna took the bone-handled knife that Elle had given her for protection and cast it on the ground. “I will not.”

The Commander grinned sinisterly. Luna felt the urge to take the knife and plunge it into the Commander’s heart. “You will take your cut Luna or Gustus will snap the neck of the little one.”

Gustus gave the Commander a startled look. 

“Oh, don’t look surprised Gustus.” The Commander chided. “And quit hiding her eyes. You’re pathetic. You’re all so weak. You can’t protect her from this.”

Gustus let his hand fall from Lexa’s face. 

“Now, Luna,” the Commander turned her attention back to the girl. “Which is it? You take your cut or Gustus kills Lexa.”

“Stay strong, Luna,” Sonian called. “Cut me. I need you to look after them. You are the strong one. Promise me you will always look after Lexa.”

“But Nomon.”

“Listen to me, Ai gonplei ste odon. It’s okay. We will meet again, ai niron.” Sonian encouraged. “Now do it.” 

Luna shook her head. Tears fell unchecked down her cheeks. She looked from her mother to Lexa and then back. Slowly, she picked up the knife. She really was in Hell. “Yu gonplei ste odon, Nomon,” Luna cried as she thrust the blade into Sonian’s heart. 

The Commander looked at Luna with pride. She’d found her protege. The girl was strong.


	5. Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna is put to the test and then finds out some information that she'd rather not know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note. I'll be travelling next week so updates will be a bit longer than usual.

The weeks slowly went by. Before long, Luna was able to take the staircase two steps at a time on her growing legs. As she’d strengthened Elle had found more challenging tasks for her but she hadn’t escaped the steps entirely. She still had to climb them once every morning while carrying a pail of water in each hand. She knew her ticha didn’t force her to do the tasks out of cruelty but out of duty. It was her job to prepare Luna for the day that she would fight in the conclave. Still, the smirk that she carried on her face sometimes as she watched Luna struggle to complete a particularly arduous task irked Luna. 

Luna was currently in one of those particular predicaments that her ticha liked to put her in to test her mettle. Elle had met her at the top of the stairs and asked her to follow her into the forest. Luna had looked at the rope she carried with her curiously but had followed Elle, nonetheless. They had taken a trail that Luna had come to know well. It was the one that the children used when they were sent out to gather wild herbs and onions for the cook. Luna knew of a wild strawberry patch nearby and had considered asking Elle if they could stop and pick some of the sweet treat but she had decided against it. Her ticha had looked pretty determined. It hadn’t taken long for Luna to discover the reason for their jaunt into the wilderness. They left the trail after about a mile and walked through the briars and the brambles until they reached a stately hickory tree. Elle stood at the base and then threw the rope over one of the fat limbs about thirty feet up that extended from the shaggy trunk. She ran the loose end of the rope into the looped end and then tested it to make sure it was secure before handing the rope to Luna. “Climb.”

Luna took the rough rope in her hands and pulled herself up but she didn’t get very far. She was strong but her legs were stronger than her upper body and she had difficulty pulling herself up. 

“You’ll not do it that way. Use your legs. We’ve finally worked some strength into them.” 

Elle took the rope and demonstrated by using her feet to push against the trunk while climbing with her hands. She dropped after she’d climbed about fifteen feet. “Like that. But all the way to the limb.”

Luna nodded and followed Elle’s example. She hadn’t climbed as quickly as her ticha but before long, she had reached the limb and was sitting up in the tree. She looked out across the verdant forest and breathed in the scent of rich leaves and earthy bark. The nubs that would grow into tasty ripe nuts were already presenting themselves in the clusters of leaves. 

“I did it,” Luna cried breathlessly.

“Now, unloop that knot.” Elle ordered.

“But, how will I get down?”

“How, indeed?” Elle watched as Luna looked at the rope with trepidation. The rope was her way out of the tree. If Elle took it, she’d have no way of getting down. No way save jumping and that was something she wasn’t sure she could do without breaking her neck. Luna considered slinking down the rope and disobeying her ticha but she knew that Elle would only find a worse way to punish her. So, she did as ordered but her belly tightened in fear as the rope dropped to the ground. 

Luna watched as Elle coiled the rope and then hooked it onto her shoulder. She clearly had no intention of giving Luna the lifeline back. Luna looked at the tree trunk. It was too thick for her to get her arms and legs around it to bear crawl down it. Plus, the bark was jagged and would likely tear her skin to shreds if she tried to skim down it. 

“I’ll expect you in the mess hall for dinner.” Elle called and then turned to leave. “If you’re late, you’ll miss out on your favorite, venison with pear sauce. I asked cook to make it especially for you.”

The last thing Luna was worried about was the menu as she watched her ticha abandon her to the wilds. 

Luna wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there but the shadows in the forest started to change as the sun moved from its position high in the sky to the western sky. She knew if she made it out of the tree, she still had to walk back to Polis. She looked down at the forest floor three stories below. She told herself she could survive the fall but every time she decided she was going to jump, her fear stopped her. But her butt was starting to ache from sitting on the hard limb and her back was sore from being propped up against the rigid trunk. 

Finally, an idea occurred to her. She could offset some of the drop by dangling from the limb and then falling. She was also likely to land on her feet. She did the math. It would still be at least a twenty-five foot drop. She realized that she might be able to cut off another foot if she scooted down the limb a bit. It sloped slightly groundward and her weight should depress it even more. Resolved that she’d discovered her best solution, she slowly and carefully wrapped her arms around the limb and lowered herself until she was dangling. She did her best to walk her hands down the limb but it was so thick and her hands were already chafed from climbing the rope. She realized she would never make it to the end of the limb. So, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to the spirit of the Commander, and then she let go. 

The sting in her feet was instant. She cried out in pain and fell over on her bottom grabbing at her feet. But she had survived! She couldn’t wait to see the look on her ticha’s face when she walked into the mess hall for dinner! And even though her feet were killing her and her legs cramped she ran all the way back to Polis. 

She knew by the sun that there were still a couple of hours left until dinner. She decided that she wanted to see her ticha before then, if only to brag a little that she had overcome her fear and completed the mission. But Elle wasn’t in their shared quarters. Luna looked through all of the common places in the barracks which were mostly empty because the other Natblida were also out training. She hurried down to the training arena. Liberty was there going through staff drills with his ticha and Lexa was also there. Gustus had her kicking a ball around obstacles. Luna looked at the foot pattern and realized he was teaching her sword foot work but turning it into a game for the toddler. Elle, however, was nowhere to be found. She remember once on a free day in the market, she’d seen her ticha skulking about an alleyway. She’d never said anything to Elle about it but now she wondered where that alleyway led to and if maybe her ticha had gone there again. Luna ran back to their quarters grabbed her cloak and headed off in search of her tutor.

The alleyway was dark and led to a dead end except for a door which was locked. But Luna wasn’t going to let a locked door stop her. She felt bold and fearless after having survived the fall from the tree. She reached for her knife and slid it in the crevice that ran between the door and the door frame. She heard the light click of the lock disengaging and pushed the door open as quietly as possible. The entry was dark but she could see soft candlelight from a room up ahead. She crept silently toward the room until she heard voices.

“Tomorrow at first light,” a female voice said.

“I wish I was going with you, ai niron.” It was Elle. Luna stopped dead in her tracks. Her ticha had a lover. It wasn’t forbidden for gonas to have lovers but it still shocked Luna. Elle never mentioned that she had someone special. 

“Your duty is to the Natblida.” the other female responded.

“Ai Heda, I know that, but I hate you fighting without me by your side.”

Heda? Luna couldn’t have heard right. Elle couldn’t be lovers with Heda. It was expressly forbidden for Heda to take a lover. Heda, herself, had told the Natblida that in their teachings. 

Luna dropped down and edged slowly forward. She had to know for sure. 

“Elle, my love. I don’t like it anymore than you do. But I asked you to train Luna because I think she will be the one to replace me.”

“I know Heda but she’s not even ready for the conclave. She hasn’t passed the trials. If you were to die in this battle, Heda, she wouldn’t even be allowed to fight.”

“I know that. And maybe she won’t be my immediate successor but I believe she will one day serve as Heda.”

“I fear you are wrong, ai niron. There is something hesitant about her. She lacks your fire.”

“And that, again, is why I chose you to teach her. You will stoke those fires within her.”

Then there was silence.

Luna peeked her head around the doorframe. Heda lay on a large black bear rug on the floor. Her head was thrown back as Elle kissed her breasts. Luna jerked back and scampered down the hallway as quietly and quickly as she could. She wished she could unsee everything she’d just seen. She didn’t want to know Heda’s dirty secret. She didn’t know if she should tell Titus. She didn’t know if she could betray her ticha. They seemed so in love. But it was wrong. Love was wrong. At least for Heda. Everyone knew that! Luna had been so looking forward to gloating over dinner. Now, she didn’t know if she’d even be able to look at Elle without giving away her knowledge. She needed to talk to Liberty. He was the only one she could trust! Luna hurried down the alley and toward the Natblida training grounds.


	6. Stealing Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War has come.

War came! And with it, privation. Every able bodied adult was needed in the fight against Azgeda. Only the youngest Natblida’s and their tichas remained in Polis with the old and infirmed. The central market became a ghost town. The tower stood dark and empty. Besides Luna, Liberty, and Lexa there were four more Natblida who’d either been too young or too unprepared to take the trials. Even though they weren’t called to action, their lives were drastically changed by the war, nonetheless. Food was scarce. Instead of having three meals prepared for them and served daily in the Natiblida mess hall, they had to hit the woods with their tichas and hunt their own food. Whatever they caught had to be shared with the sick and elderly who couldn’t fend well for themselves. The philosophy, history, and military strategy classes that were usually taught by Heda were now given by Titus. The only thing, it seemed, that didn’t change was the rigorousness of their training. If anything, it felt like the war had heightened their tichas sense of their mission to train the next Commander. Elle was particularly on edge. Although, Luna was sure it was more out of concern for her lover, the Commander, than it was out of any hurried need to complete Luna’s training. 

One morning, Elle roused Luna early. “Pack a change of clothes and any food you’ve been stashing.”

Luna rubbed her eyes. In the windowless room, it was impossible to tell what time it was but Luna knew she hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep. “Where are we going?”

“Just pack,” Elle ordered as she put a fresh candle wick to light off of the one that was already lit. Without another word, she took off down the hallway. Luna hurried to do as she was ordered. When she had everything she thought she’d need she took the other candle and followed the way her ticha had gone. No one else was up and about. There wasn’t even any light pouring out from beneath their doors, they were all still fast asleep. The barracks were so quiet that Luna could hear the floorboards creak under her slight weight. Once she reached the common area, Luna could see the moon was still bright in the sky. Where could they be going in the dead of the night? 

“Here,” Elle called quietly as she came into the room and handed Luna a heavy coat lined generously with fur. It was middle of summer. Luna eyed her oddly. Elle offered no explanation, she simply gave Luna a full canteen and a short sword. Then, she led the way out of barracks. 

They didn’t speak as the walked down the long staircase. The only sound that could be heard as they made their way through the abandoned market square was the rippling of the wind against the frayed awnings of the vendor’s stalls. As they made their way out of the city, the eerie silence of town was replaced by the cacophony of the moonlit woods. A hoot owl cried in the distance. The crickets sang their eternal melody. A pack of coyotes bayed as they chased down some unfortunate prey. Luna moved a little closer to Elle. 

They marched north along an old roadway. Hardly any of the original pavement had survived the apocalypse but occasionally a streak of reflective yellow paint peaked out from the grass and dirt. It was only when the sun breached the mountains in the east that Elle finally spoke. “We’ll rest here for a bit.” The ticha sat down on the metal guardrail that lined the curve in the road. She fished a chunk of dried meat from her pack and divided in half for the two of them.

“We’re going to the war, aren’t we?” Luna asked s she took the jerky. 

“We are.” Elle answered in her taciturn way. 

“Has something happened?” The war had been raging for weeks. Luna couldn’t understand what would make her ticha feel the need to steal off in the middle of the night. 

“We haven’t had word.” It was true. They hadn’t seen a messenger in over a week. But surely Azgeda and her comrades hadn’t killed all of Trikru and her allies. The alliance had been the largest ever. The Commander had managed to unify Trikru, Yujleda, and even a few of the villages from Trishana Kru had opted to fight alongside Trikru, even though their leadership remained officially neutral. Sure Azgeda had Delfikru on their side but that was out of subjugation. Only Boudalan Kru fought willingly at Azgeda’s side. Still, Luna had heard Elle and Titus talking and knew that if the conflict wasn’t resolved soon that all the clans would eventually have to take a side. 

“Maybe the messenger was captured,” Luna offered.

“If so, then that means they have operatives working on this side of the fighting, which means the capital is not safe.” Elle’s brow furrowed. Then almost to herself she said, “she shouldn’t have left it unguarded.”

“I’m sure she thought that taking the war to them would keep them too busy to worry about Polis.”

“You’re older than your years, Luna,” Elle complimented the girl. “Would you have left the city unguarded?”

“No, but with all the buffers between the capital and Azgeda, I’m sure she didn’t think that Queen Nia could get an occupying force through our lands. And if the fighting is as fierce as the early messages said it was then they really couldn’t spare the gonas to look after Polis anyway.”

“Which is why we need to be at the front. If the fighting is that intense, then Heda needs our help. Me, Gustus, and Virgil, I mean. It’s a waste of manpower.”

“That’s what you and Gustus were talking about at dinner last night. Why didn’t he come with us?”

“Lexa,” Elle wiped her greasy fingers on her pants.   
“How long til we reach Azgeda lands?”

“A week, maybe more. Depends on how deep they penetrated into their territory.”

“I thought it would take longer.”

“It might. I’m being hopeful.” Elle allowed herself one small grin. Luna smiled back but it was out of politeness. 

Their lunch was cut short by the blowing of the fog horn. Luna’s eyes went wide, her heart started racing. Were they close enough to the Mountain? They were close enough to hear the horn so it was possible they were close enough to be affected by the acid fog. 

“Luna, this way, hurry.” Elle grabbed both of their bags and started running back the way they’d come. A million questions ran through Luna’s head. She’d never heard the horn in Polis. She assumed the capital was out of reach of the fog but if they were in fog territory now then that meant that Polis was just out of reach. But who’d blown the horn? And, how long did they have before the fog reached them? The last question didn’t take long to be answered as the yellow gas came pouring through the thick pine forest. Luna’s lungs burned to keep up with the frantic pace of her feet. Elle stopped long enough for Luna to catch up with her. She lifted the girl up and carried her until they reached an old manhole cover on the old highway. “Give me your sword,” Elle called but didn’t wait for Luna to act, she unsheathed the short sword and used it to pop open the heavy metal lid to the manhole.

“Get in,” she ordered. Luna looked at the dark hole with trepidation and then back to the sickly yellow fog rolling their way. She had no idea what might be lurking in the bowels below but she’d seen people whose faces had been eaten off by the acid. With a heavy breath she grabbed the rungs of the ladder on the inside of the hole and climbed down into the darkness. Elle hurried after her, pulling the cover over the opening just before the fog rushed over them.

The darkness was complete. But Luna found the void comforting. If there was no light then that meant there were no Reapers lurking in the sewer. But, the sound of tiny feet scurrying about and the tell-tale squeaking of rats was less comforting. Luna heard Ell rip something and then rifle around in her bag. A couple of sparks later and Elle’s makeshift torch came to light. It wasn’t much light and it wouldn’t last long without some fat to soak into the fabric but at least the vermin were scattering away from them. 

The light revealed that they were standing in a small recess adjacent to the main sewer tunnel. Elle held the light into the tunnel and they could see the detritus of generations that had lived on Earth long before them. Styrofoam cups, plastic bags, bottles, and aluminum cans abounded. 

“What’s a cheeto?” Luna asked, looking at a faded orange bag.

“I’m not sure. Wasn’t there a president called El Cheeto? Maybe it’s named after him.”

Luna shrugged. It was as good an answer as any. “What now?”

“We wait.” 

And they did. Long after the torch went out, long after Luna nodded off to sleep against Elle’s shoulder. Her bladder awoke her. “Gotta pee.”

“Hold on, Luna. I’ll see if the fog is cleared.” Elle scrambled up the short ladder and lifted the lid. She called down, “coast is clear. Do your business and let’s get moving. That fog has caused us enough time.” And as the sun kissed her skin from high overhead, Luna realized that they’d been down in the sewer for at least four hours.

They didn’t take anymore breaks that afternoon. Elle marched mercilessly trying to regain as much ground as she could. When the sun fell behind the tree line and the crickets resumed their nightly chorus, Luna feared that they would walk right through the night. Finally, they came to an intersection. Luna was surprised to realize that she knew the road. She, Lincoln, and Liberty had traveled there with her father once when they went to the market in a neighboring village. There was an old half broken fountain overrun with vines that sat on the corner. They’d gathered up old coins that were littered around the fountain. Her father had taken them back to his forge, he’d made her mother a little cooking pot with the coins and told the mother that it was a gift from the children. Luna choked back the tears as she thought of her father and her mother. 

The more she thought about the family she lost the more the old hatred for the Commander and for those who’d kidnapped her and her siblings crept back into her heart. She found it difficult to look at Elle. How could someone like Elle love someone so cruel and heartless as the Commander? Luna was seething so hotly that she barely heard Elle when she said, “we will make camp here.” But she went to work helping her ticha gather firewood and lay out their bedding. They scared up a rabbit for dinner and Elle refilled their canteens from a nearby stream. 

Luna was exhausted. She’d been deprived of a full night’s sleep and then spent most of the day walking. She was thankful for the nap she’d been able to get in while they were waiting out the fog. She was going to need that reserve of energy if her plan were to work. 

Luna waited until Elle’s breathing evened out and was interspersed with the occasional light snore. Grabbing only the canteen and her personal bag, Luna tiptoed away from camp down the road she knew would take her to Ton D.C. When she was sure her boots wouldn’t wake her sleeping ticha, Luna broke into a full run. Finally, she was going home.


End file.
